--- title: "Monday Buzz: Giving Data Back to Members" id: "27512" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-giving-data-back-to-members" published_at: "2015-03-09T19:43:37+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T17:52:12+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/03/09/monday-buzz-giving-data-back-to-members/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/03/09/monday-buzz-giving-data-back-to-members.md" excerpt: "Data is a central theme of private-sector conversations, but that doesn’t mean that associations should be left in the dust. Plus: What’s Reddit?" taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "data sharing" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: Giving Data Back to Members The phrase “big data” is thrown around with abandon these days. But what can organizations actually do with all the data they accumulate? [Brent Dykes (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/analyticshero) , Adobe’s evangelist for customer analytics, recommends that companies open up more data to customers to improve their experience. Many of his insights could provide inspiration for associations looking to make the most of their data. [In a guest post on VentureBeat (opens in a new tab)](http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/07/why-smart-companies-will-start-giving-data-back-to-their-users/) , Dykes labels many current data-sharing practices as inadequate given their potential. “Traditionally, data sharing hasn’t been viewed as a way to strengthen customer relationships or generate a competitive advantage,” he writes. “Essentially, it’s a means for deflecting customers from using more expensive, labor-intensive channels (mail, call centers, in-store customer service, etc.) and nothing more.” But as data-sharing advocates know, calls to release internal information to larger audiences are met with some critical concerns. “Data sharing isn’t without challenges,” Dykes concedes. “It may expose weaknesses or problems you don’t want your customers to see. Some companies will be perfectly happy to keep their customers ignorant of how inefficiently they use or misuse their products or services.” So when reflecting on your organization, consider what groups, from members to your board to the general public, could benefit from understanding more about the data you’ve collected about them. ### Nontraditional Advice of the Day Ever think that dumpster diving could provide valuable insight for your association’s next event? Sustainability specialist [Shawna McKinley (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/s_mckinley) [shares an unexpected perspective on Event Manager Blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-dumpster-diving) . ### Other Good Reads **What’s Reddit all about**? On the Content Marketing Institute blog, the editor of *Chief Content Officer* magazine, [Clare McDermott, (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/soloportfolio) has an extensive breakdown of the [simultaneously popular and mysterious social networking site (opens in a new tab)](http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/03/confessions-reddit-junkie) . **BoardSource’s new report,** “[Leading With Intent: A National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices (opens in a new tab)](http://leadingwithintent.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/LWI-Report-2.pdf) ,” is out, and Wild Apricot contributor [Farhad Chikhliwala (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/fchikhli) [pulls out some key takeaways (opens in a new tab)](http://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/2015/03/09/how-would-your-board-score-) . **Breathe new life into your monthly giving program** using five tips from [Erica Waasdorp (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/ericawaasdorp) , president of A Direct Solution. [She lays them out on Network for Good’s Nonprofit Marketing Blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/site/5_big_to_dos_for_monthly_giving_programs) . (Creatas/ThinkStock) [Morgan Little](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Tags: [#data sharing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/data-sharing/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [ArticleThe Community Advantage: Centering Humans in the Age of AIAugust 12, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/12/the-community-advantage-centering-humans-in-the-age-of-ai/) - [ArticleThree FAQs for Creating Custom Member Portals for AssociationsMarch 23, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/03/23/three-faqs-for-creating-custom-member-portals-for-associations/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F03%2F09%2Fmonday-buzz-giving-data-back-to-members%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !